Seeking Hope
Like so many, I have been angered and appalled by the horrific acts of terrorism committed by Hamas on Israeli civilians. Now, I am trying to hold several difficult things in my heart as I try to find hope.
Advocating
First Out LGBTQ Parent Senator and First Black Lesbian Senator to Fill Feinstein’s Seat
Laphonza Butler has been named by California Governor Gavin Newsom (D) to complete the Senate term of the late Senator Dianne Feinstein (D). Butler, president of EMILYs List, will become the first out Black lesbian member of Congress and the first out LGBTQ parent senator.
Florida School District Institutes Sweeping Ban on LGBTQ-Inclusive Books
A Florida school district in July ordered its librarians to remove all books with LGBTQ characters or themes from classrooms and libraries. While the district later asserted that such books are still allowed in high school libraries, there is evidence that many have been removed from them as well.
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
The parenting news keeps coming! Here are some stories I haven’t covered separately. This edition is full of international news (and a few U.S. items), so read on and catch up with what’s happening around the world.
Pennsylvania Supreme Court Raises Bar for Granting Co-Parent Adoptions to Unmarried Couples
Marriage equality has helped LGBTQ parents and our children in many ways—but should we have to marry? A decision by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court will now make it much more difficult for both same- and different-sex couples to obtain co-parent (sometimes called second-parent) adoptions unless they are married.
9/11: Of Remembrance and Hope
Only a chance change of job kept me from being at the World Trade Center site on September 11, 2001. Shortly afterward, my spouse and I began to talk seriously about having a child.
LGBTQ Parenting Roundup
Let’s round up some LGBTQ parenting stories I haven’t covered elsewhere—have a read and see what’s happening!
In Memoriam: Laura Ann Carleton, an Ally Killed for Flying Pride Flag
A California shop owner, community leader, and mother of nine children was killed Friday by a man who objected to her flying a Pride flag outside her clothing store and then shot her.
Protests in Over a Dozen European Cities Against Italy’s Attack on Two-Mom Families
Queer parents and allies in more than a dozen European cities are holding protests against the Italian government’s removal of nongestational mothers in two-mom families from their children’s birth certificates. Here’s what’s happening and how you can help.
Michigan Supreme Court Affirms Rights of Nongenetic LGBTQ Parents
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled Monday that nongenetic LGBTQ parents who were unconstitutionally denied the right to marry may seek custody of children they were raising with former partners.